Hidey ho, neighbors! It's that time of year again... The end of the year. And as always, I am here to give you my top ten video games that I've had the pleasure of experiencing these past 365 days! Now, as some of you may now know, I include more than present video games. My countdown includes any game that I experienced, whether it be backlogged from previous years or contemporary releases. It was an amazing year for gaming. Absolutely amazing. We saw the rise of a new generation, as well as incredible swan song titles for the previous era. The MYIGN year was certainly one to remember as well, but this one is all about gaming. I hope you enjoy my top ten list of this year!

Games I beat this year

Ni No Kuni

Assassins Creed 2

Assassins Creed 3

Assassins Creed 4

Mass Effect 3

Fire Emblem Awakening

Animal Crossing New Leaf

Bioshock Infinite

Paper Mario Sticker Star

Donkey Kong Country 3D

Hook

Donald Duck Maho No Bushi

Bubsy the Bobcat

Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon

Ducktales Remastered

Psychonauts

Pikmin 3

Rayman Legends

Xenoblade Chronicles

Mario 3D World

A Link Between Worlds

Pokemon Y

Skyrim

Doctor Who Eterntiy Clock

NightySky

Dissidia Doudecim

Kingdom Hearts 1.5

Wind Waker HD

Gunman Clive

Shin Megami Tensei IV

Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion

Top 10 Games Played in 2013

10. A Link Between Worlds

Yes, that’s right. I’m putting a Zelda game at nearly the bottom of the list. (Of course, it still beat out dozens of other games I’ve played this year)

I definitely played worse games than A Link Between Worlds, but I didn’t have particularly high expectations for those. As much as it pains me to say, Between Worlds was the most disappointing game I’ve played this year, only because the expectations were tremendously high, especially after hearing so much praise.

Sure, it’s Zelda, and that means that the gameplay design is flawless. It offers a sense of freedom we have not seen in Zelda games for a while. The dungeon design is superb, the art style is beautiful, and the sidequests are rewarding. In many ways, it’s a masterpiece.

But it lacked charm for me. The world felt dull at times, especially since it was so similar to its SNES predecessor. The sense of magic and quirky charm present in a 3D Zelda game was nowhere to be found. It wasn’t until I played another game on my list that I realized Nintendo got it wrong. Yes, it’s an open world, and it’s very fun to explore but it almost always results in a new heart piece, or a bottle. It’s a bit routine.

Still, I wouldn’t have it grazing the bottom of my list if it weren’t amazing in all other respects, and it is.

9. Assassins Creed II

I played three Assassins Creed games this year, and all of them rank incredibly close to one another. Seriously, if I were to think about it again I wouldn’t be surprised if IV or III take this spot instead. But after a quick review, I am giving this award to the second in the series. I loved the piratey segments of IV, and the Frontier of III, but something about II just feels iconic. ACII is the game I picture when I hear the word “Assassins Creed.”

The settings are gorgeous, especially Venice. The story gets the job done, and the game feels the most polished in the series. I could have done with less tailing missions (something the successors are even more guilty of) but I still love the way ACII offers different approaches in how you handle a situation. There is a lot of freedom and a lot of options at your disposal. I love when a game offers that. Unfortunately, there isn’t much else I can say about this one. It’s a damn fine game though.

8. Rayman Legends

Rayman Legends was in many ways what I had hoped Rayman Origins would be. I always had a problem with Origins’ contradiction of fast-paced gameplay and slower-paced level design. It never meshed for me.

Legends was a massive improvement. The platforming felt much slower and more focused. It wasn’t fixated on trial and error anymore. I found it fun to explore and collect items. Not only that, but the game was incredibly unique and clever. It brought the platformer to the next level for me, presenting a ton of charming, new ideas. I found myself constantly grinning as I played this game. It’s just so damn charming. New ideas are constantly thrown at the player. You can tell a ton of love was put into it. That includes gamepad functionality. Legends was no doubt the best use of the Wii U gamepad so far. Despite the fact that there were too many Murphy levels I never found them to be a chore. The gamepad AI was impressive.

And finally, the visuals. This is no doubt one of the prettiest games I have ever played.

7. Mass Effect 3

How do you know when a game has really impacted you? Well, how about when you stop playing it for three months because you’re too afraid to let a character die? Yep, that was my experience with Mass Effect 3, and it is a testament to the characters and writing. I was so immersed in this universe and the crew of the Normandy that the very thought of letting one of them die was gut wrenching.

When I was approached with the difficult decision of either betraying Tallie or Legion I could not decide. You can blame Legion for that one. The second he asked “Does this unit have a soul?” my conscience gained tremendous weight. Instead of willingly betraying any of them, I went back and replayed six hours of the game, so that my Shepard had accumulated enough prestige to make the neutral decision.

You can imagine my reaction when I was finally able to rally the fleet instead of betraying two of my favorite characters. (One of them being my love interest)

Mass Effect 3 had numerous moments like this. Ignoring anything about the ending, let’s face it: This was an absolutely spectacular game, with moments that are worthy of a tear. It was indeed the finale in every sense of the word. Sacrifices were made, people died and… Oh man, that opening gave me chills. It takes a Hell of a lot to get me teary-eyed when playing a video game, and Mass Effect 3 nearly accomplished that.

6. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

I played The Elder Scrolls V for the first time in the year it was released. And I wasn’t fond of it. Two years later, I’ve finally come back, and you know what? I get it. I actually understand what it is that makes this series so beloved this time.

Sure, I still don’t like the leveling system, and combat can be clunky, but Skyrim transcends these issues by offering a very unique experience among gaming. Every day is a new adventure. Every day you are doing something different, and you don’t know what you’re going to get. I may come across a mine filled with orcs ready to take my head, or help someone rescue their lost dog, or steal a horse without anyone noticing. The variety never seems to end.

A lot of people say Skyrim represents what Zelda used to be. I myself have never loved nor hated the more free-style Zelda games, but if “A Link Between Worlds” was a return to form for the series roots, then Skyrim still blows it out of the water. You can do anything in this game, go anywhere and have any adventure. And almost all of the time, it’s rewarding. You truly feel like an adventurer when exploring Skyrim. It’s amazing. Zelda could learn a thing or two from this series.

5. Pikmin 3

Anyone who knows me knows how excited I was for this one. Pikmin 3 was easily my most anticipated game of the year. I adore this series, and its unique charm. There is no other series quite like it. So did the third installment deliver?

For the most part, yes. I’d be lying if I said the short length of Pikmin 3 didn’t disappoint me, but the clever design and the puzzles were certainly up to par with previous entries. Pikmin 3 is almost like Star Fox 64: A game that is tremendously short, but so much fun and so varied that it warrants a ton of replay. I could see it becoming a classic down the road, one that I pop in every once and a while when I’m bored. It’s got a ton of charm, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Difficult? Not really, but certainly a lot of fun to figure out.

Pikmin’s difficulty is up to perception. That is what makes the series so unique. You can get through the game easily if you don’t care about casualties along the way. But any player with a soul will find it hurts every time one of those adorable creatures dies. It weighs on the conscience, which isn’t something I can say for every Nintendo series. The third installment embraced this idea and because of a few other elements such as boss fights and level design, it was the best in the trilogy.

4. Ni No Kuni

You know what I love so much about Ni No Kuni? There’s nothing about it that tries to be groundbreaking. It’s not a next generation game attempting to master next generation gimmicks. It’s not gritty, it’s not dark. It is a game that simply makes you happy to be alive. It’s a game that embraces its concept of childhood enthusiasm. The colors are vibrant, the music is whimsical – it is a sheer joy to play, and a wonderful experience from beginning to end. Just thinking about it makes me happy.

In my opinion, the greatest issue with the current generation of video gaming is a lack of straightforward enjoyment. Games are darker nowadays, mostly featuring guns and realistic ideas, and that is a transition I personally don’t want to see go through. Ni No Kuni reminds you of the generations before, and how games used to revolve around nothing but having fun. It’s a video game that harkens back to the old days when stepping into a video game was like a dream, in which the impossible becomes a reality. Ni No Kuni is so charming that you’d have to be the dark Djin himself not to love it.

3. Bioshock Infinite

Video game enjoyment is often fleeting. You play a game, love it, and then move onto the next. Of course you still admire the game, but you’re excited to begin a new journey after you’ve beaten it and it will start to fade in your memory. But occasionally, you have no choice but to reflect. Given Bioshock Infinite’s incredibly ambitious ending, I was left to ponder on it for quite a while. And you know what: the more I thought about Bioshock Infinite, the more I absolutely loved it. This game didn’t escape my mind right away like many others do. It permeated, and I kept coming back to the world of Columbia, its gorgeous art style, incredibly well-written narrative, and most of all, its music.

If there is one sure-fire way to make me love a game it’s detail. When a game goes the extra mile to get me immersed in its world I have a hard time not falling in love with it. Columbia was this year’s apex of that concept. No area in Comstocks heavenly sanctuary looked the same. Between the brilliantly placed narrative images like posters, statues and symbols, and the immersive swing music of the 1800’s that Bioshock is so keen on using, I was captured by Columbia just as Elizabeth was; trapped in a world without escape – because I frankly did not want to escape…Until the very end.

2. Fire Emblem Awakening

Fire Emblem Awakening held the crown this year for a while. For starters, it's graced by Nintendo’s masterful level of gameplay design. It has the polish, the charm and the passion of what I expect from them. But it goes far beyond that. It’s an exceptional game that offered a unique experience for me.

Every hit counts in Awakening. Every dodge, every critical landing. It’s a game that makes you play with consequence. You meet new characters, learn about them, watch them grow bonds with others on the battlefield and then it creates an emotional connection between them and the player that is incredible. I fear for my team’s lives because I’ve seen them grow. No, they don’t have tremendously deep personalities, but the depth works in another way.

The bread and butter is the marriage and pairing up system. As I see my character fight alongside my wife, Cordelia, I know that I’m safer as long as she is at my side. When I see Frederick defend Lissa from an otherwise fatal attack I’m overcome with relief and affection for my team. It’s an unbelievably well-designed system. You feel for your characters in this game, and the thought of losing them forever is terrifying. Other Fire Emblem games work the same way, but it’s the marriage and paring systems that take it to next level and create a newfound sense of camaraderie that is not present in other games.

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1. Xenoblade Chronicles

Despite the slew of incredible titles this year, I had trouble deciding which had taken the crown up until September. Fire Emblem was exceptional, Ni No Kuni was an absolute joy and Pikmin 3 delivered upon my exceedingly high expectations. Each game this year was too good for me to pick just one. The games I played this year have been incredible — a cut above the rest — and that meant that there was no single title that stood above. There was, for a long time, no game that could reach even higher than the impressive titles I had already experienced.

And then came Xenoblade Chronicles…

Playing Xenoblade Chronicles was like a dream — a beautiful, engrossing dream that catered to my every whim. This game is, from beginning to end, a masterpiece. It’s one of those games in which you can tell that the developers at no point stopped caring. Nothing is phoned in. If anything, the game only escalates further toward the end — and that is impressive given the fact that it’s 70 hours long and never has a single sluggish moment.

Where to even begin? I honestly have trouble writing about this game in a professional manner because it is just so damn good. The environments are the best I have ever seen in a video game. You’ll never see anything quite like them — from the dream-like Eryth sea, to the enchanting and somber Valak mountain, to the steampunker’s wet dream Central Factory — the vistas are absolutely breathtaking.

It’s been years since I’ve had a game truly wow me with its visuals. When I witnessed the shooting stars fall from the sky in the Eryth sea I actually had to take a moment to take it all in and catch my breath. Every next area kept improving upon the last. I can’t say that about any other game.

The soundtrack? Incredible. It’s inarguable. The musical tracks hit every right note — The Satorl Marsh theme is enchanting, embodying every essence of the area it accompanies. The main boss theme is electrifying. It says a lot when a game can continue to use the same battle theme for 70% of the experience and never get old.

And all of these elements compliment each other in order to create a world that truly feels epic. It’s a word that gets thrown around a lot, but if any game deserves that title it’s Xenoblade Chronicles. By the time you finish, you feel as if you have embarked on a quest for the ages. It’s impossible not to at one point stop, just to pan around and take a wide look at the vast and wondrous world you are exploring.

But all of that wouldn’t mean much if the story weren’t so gripping. It has cliché’s, sure, but they are so well handled and so varied from other games of its genre that it doesn’t matter. The comic relief character is there, the muscle is there, and yet all of these classic archetypes don’t even matter in the shadows of Dunban, who is easily one of my new favorite video game characters.

For a massive 70-hour game, it’s truly a testament to Xenoblade’s greatness that the story continues to surprise until the very end. A number of twists are shocking — I can honestly say I did not see them coming. And the ending… good lord, this game takes it up to eleven and then doesn’t let go in its final ten or so hours. I won’t spoil any of the fun, suffice it to say I was met with goosebumps at least a dozen times throughout this tale. It doesn’t let up.

All of the other elements are there as well; the battle system is addicting, the skills mechanic is intuitive and rewarding, and Chronicles even takes the time to let its characters breathe and develop thanks to the Heart-to-heart system (and you all know how much I love a campfire scene in a video game)

Honestly, it’s like someone looked at every element I love in a video game —the environments, the ability to learn other party members abilities, the scenes that are there solely to let the characters be human beings — It’s perfect.

Sure, one could argue that the voice acting is occasionally sup-par, and that the sidequests are repetitive, but not only does this game have better voice acting than half of those on the market, but also, the sidequests do exactly what they are there to do (and with hundreds of them it’s hard not to have some repeats)

I just cannot stress it enough: play this game. I know its price has climbed in recent years, but if I had the money right now I would pay 100 dollars for a copy — that’s how good it is. It’s the best game I’ve played in about ten years, and my new 4th favorite of all time.

Thank you, Jono : )

And finally...

That's that, folks! Another amazing year of gaming is down the pipe! It's been a wild ride. I thank you all. Truthfully, things got a bit rough for me toward the end, and I haven't been myself lately. But enough of that! It's time for a refresh! Time for a change!

"We all change when you think about it. We’re all different people, all through our lives. And that’s okay. You’ve gotta keep moving, so long, as you remember all the people that you used to be. I will not forget one line of this… Not one day. I swear."